Shuttle for badminton and the like



1,620,922 March 15, 1927. A T SAUNDERS SHUTTLE FOR BADMINTON AND THE LIKE Filed July 1'. 1926 1h uen ior Addison If Saunders,

Patented Mar. 15, 1922.

UNITED STATES I, 1,620,922 PATENT-OFFICE.

ADDISON '1. SAUNDERS, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO A. G. 'SPALD ING & 3308-, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHUTTLE non BADMINTON Ann-THE LIKE.-

Application filed July 1, 1926. SeriaIVNo. 119,884.

One object of my invention is to provide a shuttle for the games of badminton, battledore and shuttlecock, which while possessing all the qualities of such shuttles, which-ordi- 6 narily are provided with an assembly of feathers as a flight controlling vane, will be featherless, but will have combined withthe head portion a flight'controlling vane of a more simple and less costly form, both as regards its manufacture and as regards its assembly with said head, said vane being of a character clearly visible in flight and as pleasing to the eye as the feathered construction.

Other objects will be set forth in the fol-' lowing description.

The invention consists inthe features and combination and arrangement of partshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:. Figure 1 is a side view of a shuttle embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the head. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view on line 3-3ofFig. 1. g

Fig. 4 is a detail view of a supplemental rib or shaft reinforcement. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing said re- 3 inforcement applied. l FFig. 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of, i 5. I

. carrying out the. invention I have provided as a means to take the pl'ace of the feathers a form of flight controlling vane which will simulate the control exerted by feathers, as ordinarily employed, at all stages of the game. That is, not. only when the shuttle is 1n full flight, will this simula- 40 tion in action take place, but throughout the whole period of play, including the moment at whlch the shuttle is struck and started on its flight, during the main part of its flight, and its action'of turning downwardly quickly, head foremost, when the momentum is spent. p

With the above objects in view, I employ a cone-like member 1 which may be constructed of various materials and in various forms. This is attached to the head 2 to act as a vane or tail member. I

In theparticular form shown in Fig 1, this conical vaneismade of a light fabric stiffened with glue or the like. I prefer a on the nose. largely during the flight of the shuttle and coating or filling of celluloid, cellulose acetateor similar material, rendered slightly flexible with a usualingredient and closing the interstices of the fabric. In mentioning the fact that the celluloid coating or filling may be rendered slightly flexible, it is to be understood that the cone-like vane is substantially a stiff body, i. e.', stifi enough to maintain its conical formation atfall' times and under all impacts to which the head of the device may be subjected. This cone-like 65, vane is attached at its smaller endto the head 2 of the device, which as in ordinary practice, is. made of cork. To strengthen this structure and to further stiffen that portion of the substantially stifi' conical vane, which is nearest the cork member, and which corresponds to the zone of the ordinary feathered shuttle where the shafts .of the feathers are located, I provide, if-desired, ridges, creases corrugations, or flutings 3in 5 the direction longitudinally of. the cone.

, These corrugations may extend throughout the length of the cone, or they may decrease or smooth out towards the large end of the cone.

Asa means of attaching thecone-like vane or tail to the head, the small end of the cone is adapted to fit'around the butt end of the cork head, where it is united to said head by cement. I Y

The rear edge or rim of the cone, desir-' ably, may be cut in saw tooth fashion as at g 4 to give the effect of tips of the trimmed or pointed feathers of the ordinary shuttle and the spacesbetween the ribs of t e flutes may .be cut out, or they may be left intact and darkened to give the effect of spaces between the rib-like portions which simulate the shafts of feathers, or the whole surface of. the cone maybe printed .or embossed to imitate feathers. I

The cone-liketail or vane may be made of paper which is stilf,'or stiffened, so as to maintain its s'ha e at all periods and conditionsof play. ilV'hatever the material of 9 which the cone-like vanemay be' composed, it has according to .my invention, capaci to maintain its cone-like form, and strengt to resist tendency to collapse or to telescope under the impact when the shuttle is struck This impact will take place is of sufiicient force to .reverse'or change the direction of flight. At such times the gen-. eral shape of the shuttle must be preserved and therefore any of the various means of stiffening the light material of which the vane is composed is employed by me.-

Instead of constructing the cone-like vaneas above described, it may be made of sheeted celluloid' in which is incorporated fine cotton or silk fibre or the like, which fibre would take the place of thefabric above described. Tough paper-such as the fibrous Japanese variety (rather than pulped) may 'be employed as the base of thecone-like vane, which, when coated or impregnated with'celluloid, will provide a strong and durable vane sufliciently stiff to maintain its form under all conditions of play.

i That portion of the fabric or other matethe, rib lines. The portions thus providedv rial of which the vane may be composed may be slit longitudinally, midway between are rolled or turned inward into partly tubular o'rU form in cross section as at 5, which will simulate the shafts of .the ordinary .feathered construction, and add strength to the vane. This formation will occur at the apex of the rib-like formation, resulting from the fluting above mentioned It'will be noted that the hollow side of these shafts are directed inwardly.

In another form of the vane tubular 'and/ I orxsemi-tubular piecesmay be employed to reinforce the shaft portions of the vane, this feature being used, where spaces are opened up between the ribs as just described. These remforcing members or sections are similar to .quills and split quills in their general shape. These are indicated at 5.

They are made, desirably, of the same material as the vane. These supplemental ribs or shaft members are cemented to the mam quill or shaftv members 1n concentric.

- the shafts or quills of the vane are defined at'the rear by converging edges at 6. These tapered spaces contribute to the simulation 'of the ordinary feathered vane where theweb portions of the feathers diverge from the shafts and overlap each other. In the present form these triangular spaces a are ormed by cutting the material away at this point, though it will be understood that this need not be done, but instead this portion of the material may be folded back or in-' wardly and cemented to the body of the vane.

I have also improved the shuttle in respect to the feature of weighting its head. For

the best behavior of the shuttle its center of gravity should not lie nearer the vane or tail portion than the butt of the cork, that is to say; If the shuttle be laid lengthwise across a knife edge, this edge being at the buttof the cork head, the tendency,

should be to overbalance with the cork end down. a

The allowable weight of the shuttle is so slight, say about .18 to .20 oz. that theleast shift, longitudinally of any portion of the total weight is important.

.In carrying out this part of the inveir tion the weighting member 6 islocated in a deep bore or seat recess made in the butt of the cork, tocarry it well towards the nose of the same.

By thus locating the wei hting member I am enabled 'to further'sti an or reinforce that portion of the fabric cone correspond.-

ing to the shafts of the feathers by applying in my, present form of shuttle a heavier coat or body of glue or celluloid without altering the-locat'on of the center of gravity as this exists in e known form of shuttle having the vane of feathers.

These two features, i..e. the coating of the cone adjacent the back of the head with a heavy 'layer for stiffening pnrposes, and

the locat of the weighting plug forward of the-b??? of the head while related to each other in the location of the center of I gravity are independent of .each other to. a certain extent, since it is possibleto use a comparatively heavy coat or a comparatively heavy impregnation of the material of the cone to some degree and yet keep the center of gravity as low as it is in feathered shuttles, without so shifting the location of the weighting element. -But, a greater degree of thickening of the coating can be tolerated with this change in the weight location with I the result that a maximum stiffening of the cone can be secured. It will be understood that where I refer to the-cone as stiffened, I do notmean to say thatnecessarily the cone w'all'is rigid, but that the stiffening is in such degree as tomaintain the shape under various conditions of use in substantialsimulation of the feathered form of vane.

In appiliying a comparatively heavy coat ening materialv near the small end of the sti of the cone, I graduate this la or from its thickest portion at the point 0 'union with. 1

site extremity of the vane.

This makes my form of vane simulate the feather form in the distribution of ,weight and strength corresponding to-the shaft po'rtion of the natural feathers.

I overcome any weakening of the cork member which might result from this recessed construction by cementing in aplug the head'tothe thinnest portion at the oppoof cork. It readily will be appreciated'that the cone vane of the present invention as compared with a feathered vane is much simpler and the labor involved in making and applying the cone form is much less, no boring of holes (usually from fifteen to seventeen) being necessary as in the ordi nary form where the shaftsof the feathers must be positioned symmetrically by properly spacing the holes and must be secured therein with glue, these shafts being further held by binder means such as acord passing around the circle of shafts and secured thereto, all of which structural features are rendered unnecessary by my-invention.

I'claim: I

1. A .shuttle for the game of badminton and the like comprising a head and a featherless vane or tail memberattached thereto of cone-like form and adapted to substitute the usual feathers and to extend away from the head to the same extent as said usual feathers, the wall of said vane or tail being substantially stiif to maintain its form under normal conditions of play.

2. A shuttle for the game of badminton and the like comprising a head and a feath-- erless vane or tail member attached thereto 7 of cone-like form, the wall of which-is stiffer 'of the shuttle.

in that portion near the base than toward the 4 larger end.

4. A shuttlefor the game of badminton and the like comprising a head and a featherless vane ortail member attached thereto of conelike form, the wall of which is. provided with openings.

5. A shuttle and the like comprising a head and a featherless vane or tail member attached thereto of cone-like form, the wall of which is ribbelgl or fluted with openings between said r1 s. Y Y

' 6. In combination in a shuttle for the gaine of badminton and the like, a head, a vane'of sheet material of cone-like form having the material of its wall-slitted and rolled to form shafts in simulation of the shafts of feathers.

, 7. In combination in a shuttle for the game of badminton and the like, ahead, a vane of sheet material of cone-like form having openings in its wall leavin portions between in simulation of shafts of feathers, and su plemcntal shaft portions attached to the mam shaft portions to reinforce the same.

8. In combination in a shuttle for the game of badminton and the like, a head, and a cone-like vane of sheet material having rib portions of substantially U-shape in cross section and supplemental rib portions of channel form fitted with their channel face to the convex face of the main ribs.

9. A device according to claim 8 in which the supplemental rib members have sub stantially flat portions attached tothe head whereof, I afiix my signature. DDISON T. SAUNDERS.

In testimon' for the game of badminton 

